Device for aligning door-handling mechanism with a door



June 24, 1969 s. J. LO PREST! ETAL 3,451,898 DEVICEFOR ALlGNlNGDQOR-IIANIJLlNU MECHANISM WITH A DOOR Filed July 17, 1967 Sheet of 2INVENTORS. SAMUEL J. LOPREST/ and W/LFRED F. MOI/NE) Affarney June 24,1969 s. J. 1,0 PRESTI ETAL 3,451,393

DEVICE FOR ALIGNING DOOR-HANIJLING MECHANISM WITH A DOOR Filed July 17,1967 Sheet i of 2 Forward Drive Control INVENTORS. SAMUEL J. LOPRESTIand W/LFl-PED F. MOHNE) A I Iorney United States Patent I35. Cl. 202-2489 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for aligning the doorextractor of a coke pusher machine with a coke oven door. Includes a rodmounted on the extractor ram to engage parts around the door ahead ofthe ram. A system of limit switches stops operation of the ram if therod does not engage properly because of misalignment.

This invention relates to an improved device for aligning adoor-handling mechanism with a door.

Although the invention is not thus limited, the device is particularlyuseful as applied to a pusher machine for by-product coke ovens. Aconventional coke oven battery includes a plurality of relatively highnarrow ovens, which have a pusher side and a coke side. A pusher machineruns along a track parallel with the pusher side. The machine includes aram for pushing coke from the ovens out the other side, a doorextractor, and usually a leveler bar. As the coking process is completedin each oven in turn, the pusher machine is moved to a position in whichthe door extractor is aligned with the door of this oven. The extractoris used to remove the door, while another machine removes thecorresponding door on the other side. The pusher machine is shifted toalign the pusher ram with the open oven and used to push the coketherefrom. After the oven is recharged, the leveler bar is used to levelthe upper surface. Finally the doors are replaced.

Conventi-onally the operators cab is aligned with the pusher ram offsetfrom the door extractor. Consequently it is difficult for the operatorto judge when the extractor is properly aligned with the door. Anymisalignment is likely to cause damage when the parts come together.Various devices are known for aligning the extractor with the door, butthose with which we are familiar either are not sufiiciently accurate orunduly cumbersome. Commonly they use one of the buckstays as areference, rather than the door itself. The position of a buckstay canvary as much as 3 or 4 inches either way because of thermal expansion orcontraction.

An object of our invention is to provide an improved aligning devicewhich is particularly suited for use on a coke oven door extractor andovercomes problems encountered with previous devices of this type.

A further object is to provide an aligning device which uses as areference the frame of the door to be removed, thereby avoiding errorsbrought about by variations in the position of a buckstay.

A further object is to provide an aligning device which assures that adoor extractor cannot engage or replace a door unless the alignment isproper, yet avoids need for extra drive means or the hazards ofprotruding members.

A more specific object is to provide an aligning device which includesquite simply a single feeler rod with a yoke to engage a coke oven doorframe before the extractor engages the door, and a system of limitswitches for preventing operation of the extractor unless the yoke makesproper engagement.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a coke 3,451,898 PatentedJune 24, 1969 oven battery and pusher machine equipped with our aligningdevice;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view on a larger scale on line II-II ofFIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a partly diagrammatic top plan view on a larger scale thanFIGURE 1 to show the operation more clearly.

FIGURE 1 shows a portion of a coke oven battery 10 and a pusher machine12. The battery 10 includes a plurality of ovens 13, flue chambers 14between ovens, and buckstays 15 supporting the structure. Each oven hasits respective door frame 16 and removable door 17 at the pusher side.The pusher machine 12 includes a carriage '18 which travels on a track19 parallel. with the side of the battery. Mounted on the carriage arean extractor ram 20, a pusher ram 21, a leveler bar 22, and an operatorscab 23 aligned with the pusher ram. The carriage is power driven, andcarries drive motors for the rams and leveler bar. The motor for drivingthe extractor ram is indicated at 24. The extractor ram has door hooks25 for engaging and carrying any one of the doors 17.. Whenever the ram20 or 21 or the leveler bar 22 is advanced from its retracted position,it trips a limit switch, not shown, which prevents the carriage frommoving along the track. The battery and pusher machine are conventionalapart from our aligning device, and hence are not shown in greaterdetail.

As also known in the art, the side face of the extractor ram 20 carriesa plate 26 which projects above the ram (FIGURE 2). Plate 26 carries aapir of guides 27 and 28, in which an axially movable elongated feelerrod 29 is mounted. The rod carries a clamp 30 to which is attached awire rope or the like 31. The rope runs over a pair of sheaves 32 and 33journaled to the side of the extractor ram and at its lower end isattached to a counterweight 34. A well 35 on the side wall of theextractor ram houses the counterweight. Thus the counterweight urges therod toward the front of the extractor ram (the right as viewed inFIGURES 1 and 2) to the limit permitted by engagement of clamp 30 withguide 28. In this position the front end of the rod projects beyond thedoor hooks 25, but with the extractor ram retracted, the end of the roddoes not protrude appreciably beyond the carriage 18 and does notconstitute a hazard.

In accordance with our invention, the front end of rod 29 carries abifurcated yoke 36, which has a flat surface 37 at its front end and arearwardly tapering cam surface 38 on the side remote from the extractorram 20 (FIG- URE 3). The ram carries a first limit switch 39 normallyspaced from the back end of rod 29, but positioned to be operated by therod when the latter moves rearwardly relative to the ram. The carriage18 carries a second limit switch 40, and the ram carries a cooperatingtrip 41. The second limit switch is positioned to be operated by thetrip when the ram moves forwardly relative to the carriage. We connectthe two limit switches in parallel to a conventional forward drivecontrol 42 for motor 24. We connect a manually operated switch 43 forthe forward drive control in series with the two limit switches. Thefirst limit switch 39 is normally closed, the second normally open. Oneof the two limit switches must be closed to enable the motor 24 to drivethe ram forward.

In operation, we move carriage 18 along track 19 to align the extractorram 20 approximately with a door 17. We close switch 43, which energizesmotor 24 through the forward drive control 42, since the first limitswitch 39 is closed. The ram advances toward the door, and rod 29 moveswith the ram. If the parts are properly aligned, the door frame 16ultimately seats within the bifurcation of yoke 36 and stops furtheradvance of the rod. The ram continues to advance, producing relativemovement between the ram and rod. The trip 41 engages the second limitswitch 40 and closes it. A moment later the first limit switch 39engages the back end of the rod and opens, but there is no interferencewith operation of the drive motor 2.4. The ram picks up the door in theusual fashion to enable coke to be pushed from the oven 13. If the partsare misaligned, the flat surface 37 of yoke 36 may hit the door frame16, or the yoke may hit the buckstay 15, whereupon forward movement ofthe rod ceases. The rod does not advance as far as when frame 16 seatsin the bifurcation. The first limit switch 39 engages the back end ofthe rod while the second limit switch 40 remains open. With both limitswitches open, motor 24 stops before the extractor ram reaches the door.Motor 24 must be reversed and the ram realigned with the door before theoperation can proceed. The cam surface 38 of the yoke prevents the yokefrom becoming wedged betwen the buckstay and door frame.

From the foregoing description, it is seen that our invention affords asimple effective device for assuring that a door-handling mechanism isproperly aligned with a door before the mechanism can engage the door.We do not require any additional motive means to operate our device, yetit positively stops the ram if the parts are misaligned.

While we have shown and described only a single embodiment of ourinvention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, we donot wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scopeof the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In an installation which includes a fixed structure, a door removablymounted on said structure, and a handling mechanism for removing andreplacing said door, said mechanism comprising a carrige movablealongside said structure, an extractor ram mounted on said carriage forrelative movement toward and away from said structure, door-engagingmeans on said ram, and a motor on said carriage for driving said ram,the combination therewith of a device preventing said door-engagingmeans from engaging the door when it is misaligned therewith, saiddevice comprising an elongated member mounted on said ram and beingnormally movable with the ram as the ram moves toward and away from saidstructure, said member also being axially movable with respect to saidram, means normally urging said member to a position on said rarn towardsaid structure, a yoke on the end of said member to abut parts of saidstructure adjacent the door as said ram moves toward the door beforesaid door-engaging tmeans engages the door, said yoke having abifurcation in wich one of the parts of said structure seats when saidram is properly aligned and fails to seat when there is misalignment,and a system of limit switches operated by said member and said ram andbeing connected with said motor, one of which switches is operated bysaid member to stop said motor when said yoke abuts a part of saidstructure without seating.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said yoke has a flatfront face to abut parts when said ram is misaligned and a cam surfacealong one side to prevent its becoming wedged.

3. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said system of limitswitches includes a normally-closed first limit switch mounted on saidram for engagement with said member and a normally open second limitswitch mounted on said carriage to be engaged by said ram, said switchesbeing connected in parallel to control said motor.

4. A combination as defined in claim 3 in which said member opens saidfirst limit switch while said second limit switch is open when there ismisalignment, and said ram closes said second limit switch while saidfirst limit switch is closed when alignment is proper.

5. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said structure is abattery of coke ovens having a plurality of door frames and doors andsaid carriage forms part of a coke pusher machine.

6. A combination as defined in claim 5 in which the door frame seats inthe yoke.

7. In a coke oven installation which includes:

a battery of ovens, each having fixed parts and a respective doorremovably mounted on said parts; and

a handling mechanism for selectively removing and replacing the doors,said mechanism comprising:

a carriage movable alongside said ovens; an extractor ram mounted onsaid carriage for relative movement toward and away from said ovens;door-engaging means on saidram; and a motor on said carriage for drivingsaid ram; the combination therewith of a device preventing saiddoor-engaging means from engaging a door with which it is misaligned,said device comprising:

a member mounted on said ram and being normally movable with the ram asthe ram moves toward and away from the ovens, but also movablerelatively to the ram;

said member normally projecting closer to the ovens than saiddoor-engaging means and having a surface spaced from its end to seat ona part of an oven ahead of said door-engaging means as said ram movestoward said ovens when said ram is aligned properly with the door;

the end of said member providing a surface to abut a part of the ovenwhen the ram is misaligned;

a first limit switch connected to said motor and operated by said memberon abutting a part of an oven; and

a second limit switch connected to said motor and operated by said rambefore said first limit switch is operated when the ram is alignedproperly;

said member operating said first limit switch before said second limitswitch is operated when there is misalignment to break automatically thecircuit to said motor.

8. A combination as defined in claim 7 in which said fixed parts includerespective door frames receiving said doors, and said first namedsurfaces seats on the frame of the door to be removed when said ram isaligned properly with this door.

9. A combination as defined in claim 8 in which said member carries abifurcated yoke in which the frame seats when the ram is alignedproperly and fails to seat when there is misalignment, said second limitswitch operating before said first limit switch if said frame seats insaid yoke, and operating thereafter if said frame fails to seat.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,252,807 8/1941 Habeerle et al21423 2,340,910 2/ 1944 Truesdale 212-4 2,391,214 12/1945 Willputte202--248 2,730,707 1/1956 Habeerle et al 214-23 2,760,270 8/1956 Sims214-23 2,972,422 2/ 1961 Stone 2124 3,017,622 1/1962 Horsfall 2l4-233,124,736 3/1964 Randell et al. 214-23 3,304,241 2/1967 Radcliffe et al.21423 WILBUR L. BASCOM'B, JR., Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

